Lemmy was always the coolest, even back then. Lemmy was Lemmy, he was untouchable.

Tell me about this legends award you got in Las Vegas recently.

I met all my friends. I went to Las Vegas and we did a couple of jam sessions and we did a song for Lemmy, “Ace of spades”, and “Rainbow in the dark” and “Crazy train” and everybody sang a part ocr played a little. There were musicians from Testament, Twisted Sister, Winger, Stephen Pearcy and the Scorpions with Mikkey Dee. We had a big party backstage and some of the people I hadn´t seen in 20 years, like Kip Winger. We played on the Scorpions tour in 1990. It was Winger, us and the Scorpions and it was the first time we met after such a long time. The jam sessions were killer and the lady who put it on, Sally Steele, she was a singer herself and she was good. I watched some old videos and she put on the whole show and made sure that everyone was taken care of. Then I got the Metal Goddess Legends Award.

I get the feeling that you really care about things like this and that it really means something to you?

It does. If someone says “I love that song!” or “I love the setlist!” or whatever, everything that is positive, I´m very grateful for. This award was really cool and it was cool because it was in America. In the 80´s when I started, I always wanted to go to America. Back then it seemed so important. To make it good in England and then to go to America. Now you can go anywhere in the world, but back then it wasn´t that easy. You had to do whatever it took to get that chance, so it was nice to get an award in America.

You mentioned playing a song for Lemmy. We´ve lost him, David Bowie, Prince, Scott Weiland. Does this make you think more about your own mortality and your time here on earth, so to speak?

Totally. You try to cherish every day a little bit more because you never know. That was the reason why we put out that song “Love´s gone to hell” last year. Everybody said “You can´t put it out now, you have to wait for the new record.” And I said “No man, let´s do it now. Who knows what will happen next year?” I feel a little bit more urgency about certain things and with Lemmy, it totally made me very depressed. The first time I felt that was with Dio and I guess you can only take so much? Two of my heroes or best friends are gone, so I wanna try to do my best and what makes me very sad as well is when all these great bands are saying they are doing their good bye festivals and good bye tours. That´s another thing.

You don´t wanna do a farewell tour? You just wanna keep going?

Absolutely. Like Lemmy did, to the very last show and no bullshit good bye tour and then it takes 10 years… No, I wanna do this as long as I can and make people feel good. Then with AC/DC when they suddenly changed singers? It´s odd and it´s not anymore like it used to be. Everything changes and I like it old school more.

What are your fondest memories of Lemmy? When was the first time you met him?

In 1984 or 1985 I think. I had to do a little showcase in England and It was a very important day because record companies, journalists, agencies, everybody was there and they wanted to check us out, but I was alone. My band wasn´t allowed to fly over, because nobody wanted to spend any money, so it was just the singer with another band. I did a soundcheck and it was ok and then I walked over to a pub and it was the first time I was in a pub. Then I met Lemmy and he was standing there smoking and drinking. I said “Are you Lemmy?” and he said “Yeah!”. Then we hung out and talked and I got really drunk, because I could never say no to Lemmy when he passed me the whisky-cola. After a couple of hours… we had such a good time and we were like arm in arm smoking and then Lemmy said “Don´t you have to do something?” and I said “Yeah, I have to do the most important gig in my life, it´s a showcase.” and he said “Oh my god, it´s time! You´re running late.”. I walked out and I was so drunk. When I was standing I didn´t feel it, but then I walked out and I walked into the club and everybody was waiting. I walked on stage and I couldn´t remember the lyrics anymore, nothing. I looked around and the guys in the band were shaking their heads. I was sitting on the drum riser and waited for the band. Then I got up and nobody clapped. I walked off stage and people were shocked, “What did you do?” and I said “I´m friends with Lemmy. I met him next door and I´m so drunk I forgot the lyrics.” They all started laughing and said “Ok, you will get your record deal.”. God forbid I would´ve come back to Germany and told my band members “I got drunk.”. Lemmy was always the coolest, even back then. Lemmy was Lemmy, he was untouchable. Then in 1986 at the Monsters of rock festival at Castle Donnington we played together and I was so nervous. He gave me a hug and a little kiss on the forehead and said “Ok, do good!”. I felt so blessed and we did a good show. Then we could go to America and we could tour all over. We got the Judas Priest tour in 1986 and it was our first time here in Sweden.

What are your memories of your first time here?

Judas Priest was our favorite band and they treated us so good and we´re still friends. We just played a festival and Rob Halford came to our dressing room and we were talking and talking about that tour. I was always watching their soundcheck and here in Scandinavia it was always the big ice hockey arenas and I was standing there checking out the soundcheck and every road crew guy told me “Don´t go on the ice because you will get sick.” and I said “No, no it´s ok”. Then the next day I had to do the W.A.S.P. tour and I was so sick. I probably had pneumonia and Blackie Lawless was super nice to me. He cleared out his dressing room and cleared out all his band members and said “Let Doro sleep.”. He gave me some magic potion for my voice and some vitamins. Judas Priest, W.A.S. P, Dio, Motörhead, I learned from the best. They never had an attitude and were always very giving and nice and nice to the fans, especially Ronnie. He was always hanging around signing, hugging, taking pictures, having conversations outside in the cold. The 80´s, there was something magical.

What about a new album?

On the 24th of June there´s a new DVD coming out, “Strong and proud – 30 years of rock and metal”. It´s the first Bluray and it´s 8 hours and there´s a two and a half hour documentary. It´s really nice and it´s behind the curtain and all the stuff that´s going on, things people wouldn´t expect. “Love´s gone to hell” was the first song from the new record. It will probably take another year. I´m already writing songs, but we´re touring so much and we´re already booked for some shows for next year and it´s so hard to make a record while you´re on tour. I wanna make it nice and I think “Raise your fist” (2012) came out really good so it has to be on that level, but we have a couple of nice songs already. It takes time.